Fall in agri items price pulls inflation lower

The annual wholesale price index-based inflation rose 4.02 per cent during the week ended February 11, lower than the previous week's annual rise of 4.08 per cent.

The dip in the year-on-year inflation growth rate was largely on account of a decline in prices of cottonseed, raw cotton and groundnut seed prices, according to data released here on Friday by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The WPI ended the latest reported week at 196.6 points, as against 189 points a year ago.

On a disaggregated basis, the Primary Articles' group index was up 0.5 per cent to 194.3 points due to increase in prices of food articles while non-food items became cheaper.

The Fuel, Power, Light and Lubricants' group index was up 0.1 per cent to 311.6 points. The heavy-weighted Manufactured Products group index rose 0.2 per cent to 171.5 points.

Among the Primary Articles' group, the Food Articles group index was up about one per cent to 196.9 points due to higher prices of milk (three per cent) and arhar, maize, wheat, fruits, barley, ragi, and bajra (one per cent each). But prices declined for gram (two per cent) and eggs and rice (one per cent each).

The index for Non-Food Articles group fell by 0.6 per cent to 174.9 points owing to lower prices of cottonseed and gingelly seed (eight per cent each), raw cotton (three per cent) and groundnut seed (two per cent). However, prices moved up for raw wool (eight per cent), raw rubber (seven per cent), raw jute (three per cent), fodder (two per cent) and copra (one per cent).

Among the Manufactured Products' group, the Food Products' group index rose by 0.5 per cent to 180.6 points due to rise in prices of sugar (two per cent) and coconut oil (one per cent), while rape and mustard oil prices fell by one per cent. A one per cent increase in prices of Indian made foreign liquor pushed up the Beverages, Tobacco and Tobacco Products group index by 0.2 per cent to 231.5 points. The Textiles group index was up by 0.2 per cent at 129.8 points.

But prices declined for tyre cord fabric (eight per cent) and hessian & sacking bags and acrylic yarn (one per cent each). A marginal increase in the prices of maplitho paper pushed up the Paper and Paper Products group index by 0.1 per cent to 178 points.

(This article was published in the Business Line print edition dated February 25, 2006)

XThese are paid-for links provided by Outbrain, and may or may not be relevant to the other content on this page. To find out more information about driving traffic to your content or to place this widget on your site, visit outbrain.com. You can read Outbrain's privacy and cookie policy here.